Andes Conservation Expedition for Flamingos
YOUNG AMATEUR photographer Niall Riddell, of Glen Lyon, is carrying out a photo-documentary project to highlight the plight of the flamingos of the Andes in South America.
There are only 33,000 Andean flamingos left in the wild, and this beautiful pink bird is classified as Vulnerable by the IUCN. But it is only one of the three endangered flamingo species living in South America. Together with the James flamingo and the Chilean flamingo, these birds inhabit some of the most hostile lakes in the world. High in the Andes above 3,500m the creatures eek out a living on the microscopic algae and zooplankton that survive in the highly saline waters.
Now they are being threatened by habitat destruction and water poisoning from mining operations and by disturbance from an excess of unregulated tourists. In addition, the growing threat of climate change is drastically altering the water levels in these lakes.
The Aymara Indians have a history of hunting the young birds and eating the eggs, but now, to top all this off, there is a worrying and growing trend to export the eggs to neighbouring countries to sell in markets. |
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All is not lost, however, as regional and national conservationists are working to protect these species by trying to regulate visitor numbers, monitoring and banding chicks, and satellite-tracking individuals. Captive breeding programmes are undertaken where possible, and here in the UK this is led by the Wildfowl and Wetlands trust at Slimbridge.
Niall is a waste management engineer specialist based at Harwell in Oxford, and has a passion for wildlife and travel. He has taken on the challenge of conveying these issues through images. "Flamingos are an extremely charismatic species and I would like to direct my photography hobby to help conserve this species," he explained.
Night time temperatures plunge well below zero and the thin air can make it difficult for humans to breathe. Frequent strong winds, dust storms and unpredictable snow storms ensure the area is difficult to photograph. Fortunately for Niall the outdoor clothing company Páramo is providing him with high quality clothing to ensure that he survives the onslaught of the natural elements.
Having visited the region in 2003, Niall intends to return and document the flamingos’ plight and put on exhibitions back here in the UK. His portfolio will not only conveys the beauty of the species and the threats to its future, but also highlight the positive work that conservation organisations and companies are undertaking to assist them.
To develop the expedition Niall is also being assisted by RWE NUKEM Limited, the Royal Caledonian Schools Trust, the Gordon Foundation, the Eric Hosking Trust, the Wildfowl and Wetlands Trust, the IUCN's Flamingo Specialist Group and the International League of Conservation Photographers.
The expedition will be in the field from the 9 April to the 20 May
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